I think Eli is growing again..

in such a positive way. I got shared attention with him yesterday and he was showing off to me!! Usually Eli will play or draw on his own, he doesn't explain what he is doing unless you directly ask him. Well, yesterday he was drawing on his magnetic drawing pad..came running to me with it all the way to the back porch saying "Paw Print!" He brought it to me and said "Paw Print, Paw Print!" so I said, "Oh look, you drew a paw print!" He looked at me and smiled! He just showed off to me!!!

Later that night he did it again. He drew a paw print and brought it to me to show me, then he climbed into my lap and erased it, and drew some more, each time telling me what he was drawing. Once, I took his hand and drew his name for him and he said, "Ewi, dat's Ewi", and then he erased and drew something and said, "wook, a cart, a cart!" and looked at me and I said, "Yes, that's a cart, very well done!" and he said, "Want me do it again?" (I was gaping by now) and I said, "Yes, draw again" so he erased and drew and said, "wook, a guitar!" and I said, "Wow, well done" and he erased and drew a cart, etc. He was sharing with me. Looking at me and telling me what he was doing. It was a beautiful moment. I tried to get his daddy involved, but he really just wanted to share drawing with me this time. I am beyond astounded at this right now and I can't stop thinking about it. It's progress!

He does so well with RDI activities. I took him outside last night after Tom took Sophie to bed at 8pm and took him for a walk. We'd walk ten paces together and stop, over and over down the block, across the street and back. Near the end of the walk I pointed out some mushrooms in the yard across the street and Eli said, "Oh, marshmellows!" and went over and touched one whereupon it broke. So I just kept merrily going and said, "well, they looked a lot like marshmellows, but when you touched it, it sure wasn't a marshmellow" and we went home doing our ten pace walking. He is really doing so well. I'm so proud of him!

Just regular days..

Around here until school begins in a few weeks. Jake comes to visit soon so that will be a change of pace at least.
Right now everything is hunky dory. Eli is just getting better and better every day. He is doing such an amazing job with RDI ...we have put pausing into the routines to elicit facial referencing and it is working so so well..

well, the demands of children never end..Sophie is begging for something again..be back tomorrow!